You Shouldn't Mess With a Hufflepuff
by Robert the Gay Reporter
Summary: When Gill's girlfriend is murdered by who he suspects is a Slytherin, he's determined to find out who.


Hufflepuff dorms are almost never interrupted. The warmth and smells of the kitchen seeps in through the walls and the common room piano is enchanted to play a never ending melody. Students in this dorm couldn't sleep better. Hufflepuffs are only interrupted for danger. That said, it's perfectly understandable that an interruption before breakfast would lead to panic.

"Gill, do you know what's happening?" my best friend Alex asked.

I shook my head. "Not a clue… Hey, Alex, how about a promotion? You're now the prefect's assistant. Now help me organize the second years."

Alex nodded and ran off to help the younger ones. The first years I was evacuating – a mandatory procedure when the alarm bells rang – looked up at me, their brave fifth year savior, with wide eyes and fearful stares. Alex's kids didn't look much more confident. As we led the entire Hufflepuff house out to the Great Hall, we passed by the Slytherins. While my house walked quietly and in formation, the Slytherins took advantage of the widespread panic and tormented other students as the prefects, of course, turned a blind eye. No one ever stood up to the Slytherins and I had a gut feeling we were here because of one of them.

"Attention, students! Attention, students!" Headmistress McGonagall said with a grim face after we'd all assembled. "I come to all of you with heartbreaking news. Our dear friend Anna has been found dead."

Gasps echoed off the hall. It seemed like the entire hall shifted to look at me. I'd known Anna. She was a nice girl in Ravenclaw. In fact, she'd been my girlfriend in Ravenclaw. I saw blurry figures through my tears. Blurry figures coming towards me, no doubt. Before I could hear what else was said, I ran out. Alex shouted after me. I didn't look where I was running. I just ran. My legs gave out underneath me and I fell to a heap by the shore of the lake. Someone sat next to me as I sobbed. I didn't bother looking up. An awkward hand patted my back.

"It'll be all right, Gill." he said.

Mark. The school's most popular Gryffindor. Mark was the son all parents hoped for. He was Head Boy. He was a pureblood. With his dark hair and mischievous grin, there was no denying he was handsome. His grades were always O's for Outstanding. Above all, he was Gryffindor's new Seeker. Gryffindor hadn't won a match since Harry Potter had left, but Mark definitely helped them put up a fight.

"What do you want, Mark?" I asked, wiping away tears.

"Funny, those first years, right? They're so scared. They wouldn't have made it a week into Potter's reign." Mark joked.

"Tell me what you're really here for." I demanded.

"She was murdered. Strangled." Mark said seriously.

"What?" I scrambled backwards. "That's crazy! You can't know that!"

He nodded stiffly. "I found the body. She had bruises on her neck. I really am very sorry."

"It was a Slytherin! I know it! She was a Muggle-born. Only a Slytherin would kill over that." I growled in outrage.

"I know. She was my friend, too. I promise you I'll investigate and figure out who did it. I've gotten permission from Professor McGonagall." Mark said. "No one better than me on a case like this."

"I'm going with you." I said, getting up and beginning my trek up to the castle.

"You can't do that." He said, running up next to me and holding me back. "You're too far into this. It's personal for you. You won't see a mystery to be solved. You'll see a lover to be avenged."

"She was _my girlfriend_! I have every right to be involved in the process!" I shouted.

Mark opened his mouth to complain but one very non-Hufflepuff like glare shut him up. He nodded and led me down to the dungeons. I followed silently, ignoring the looks of pity from other students. Mark led us to a dark, damp corridor that stank of mold. Rats scampered away the farther in we walked. The only source of light was the light from the previous halls.

"Lumos," I muttered. My wand lit up and I could see a bit more. "Where are we? Isn't this off limits for everyone except the Headmistress?"

Mark nodded. "Her body's just down this hall. I convinced them to leave the scene untouched until I could get a good look."

Mark and I rounded a corner and there it was. Anna's limp, lifeless body. I fell to my knees next to her. Her vibrant green eyes were vacant and dead. Her usually perfect brown hair was a mess around her head. Just as Mark had said, dark bruises covered her neck. A recognizable mark was engraved in her left temple. The mark of a Beater's bat.

"That's from a Beater's bat. Whoever did this must have been a Beater." I said.

Mark grinned. "That's great! It narrows our choices down to eight kids."

"And look here!" I pointed to the clump of green, silver, and black thread next to her body. "That's from a Slytherin sweater. Who are Slytherins beaters?"

"Wesley and Kyle." Mark answered immediately. "Kyle was in the nurse this entire week. It had to be Wesley!"

We shared a high five and ran off to the Great Hall, where everyone would be eating breakfast. Most of the students stared at us as we ran in. All the professors joined in the staring when we ran towards the Slytherin table with confrontational glares. Some of the more unsavory Slytherins returned our glares while others just looked confused. I stomped over to where Wesley was laughing over a butterbeer.

"Why'd you do it, Wesley?" I asked, pushing him backwards into the wall, most likely leaving a painful bruise at the back of his head.

He groaned in pain. "Why'd I do what?"

"Why'd you kill her?" I shouted. This certainly got everyone's attention.

"Anna? Why would I kill Anna? She was my friend! Besides, I wasn't even here last night!" he said, pushing me off and sizing me up.

"Then why'd we find parts of a Slytherin sweater and the mark of an official Beater bat?" I challenged.

"You found my sweater? Somebody stole it." He said, obviously lying. "I told you, I wasn't here last night!"

"Yeah, right. Can anyone prove that you weren't here?" I smirked, There was no way he'd be able to come up with an alibi.

Out of nowhere, my sister stood up from the Gryffindor table. "I can... He was with me. We were on a… date. Strolling through the grounds."

"You see? I told you!" Wesley said, rubbing the back of his head.

I pushed him aside and marched over to my sister. "You're dating a Slytherin, Jane? How could you do that? You know Slytherins are good for nothing scoundrels!"

"We'd best be leaving, Gilbert." Mark whispered in my ear, pulling me by my shoulder.

I didn't walk with him, but I didn't put up a struggle when Mark dragged me out. We walked in silence, other than Mark's casual remarks about how he couldn't believe a Gryffindor would even think of dating a Slytherin.

"I think you really should back out now. You're not in the best state. You just lost your girlfriend. Your sister betrayed you for a Slytherin. You'll definitely make it personal." Mark said.

I pushed him up against the wall and held him by his shirt. "Don't doubt me, Mark. Don't make me back off. And most of all, don't mistake the Hufflepuff colors for a kid not afraid to beat you up."

Mark nodded and scrambled to pull down his shirt. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

I rolled my eyes and walked away. I headed back to the Hufflepuff dorms, not caring if I got in trouble for skipping class. The piano and scents didn't help me relax now. I sat in a shock induced trance for hours before I did something to occupy myself. I picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet and scanned the headlines.

**Werewolves Given Justice!**

**Harris Case: Vampires or Enchanted Leeches?**

**Death Eaters Found With Mark on Torso Instead of Forearm**

**Harry Potter Accepts Invitation to England's Quidditch Team **

There was nothing terribly interesting to read, so I gave up and left to wonder the castle. My first stop was in the Gryffindor common room to leave Mark a note asking him to meet me for further discussion. Halfway there I ran into Wesley. I tried to keep walking, but he stopped me before I could walk away.

"Look, Gilbert," he began.

I cut him off. "It's Gill."

"Sorry," he apologized. "What I mean to say was I'm really sorry about Anna. I was friends with her."

"Friends have killed friends before." I muttered.

"Look, I know what you think about Slytherins. I do. I really do. And I understand. I've lived with them for six years. It's not exactly pleasant. But we're not all like that. Let me help. I could help. Please let me help." Wesley pleaded.

I inspected him with suspicious eyes. Finally, I shrugged. "Fine, but be warned. If you stun me in the back when I'm not looking, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

"I promise I won't stun you in the back." he laughed. "Have you considered any of the Gryffindors as suspects?"

"Please, as if a Gryffindor could do it. Tell you what, I'm on my way up to their tower now. If we find something that points to the Gryffindors, I'll buy you and anyone who wants to come a round of butterbeers." I promised with a smirk. Gryffindors had the cleanest record in school.

He shook my head with a confident grin. "Deal."

"Let's go." We walked in silence until we reached the door to the Gryffindor common room. I turned on my heel to stare down at Wesley. It wasn't hard to be menacing. I was a good foot taller than him. "If you use this against me and try to get into the Gryffindor common room to prank them, I swear you'll regret."

He nodded in understanding. "How about we swap passwords? That way it'll be fair."

"You could always lie. I'd rather just leave it at that. I haven't punched a Slytherin in the face in a while." I smiled sweetly.

He laughed nervously. "Aren't you a Hufflepuff? Shouldn't you be hugging me and offering cookies or something?"

"Yeah, as if." I rolled my eyes. "You've obviously never met a Hufflepuff before."

We got in using the password Jane had given me. Classes were still going on and nobody was in the Common Room except for the house elf who immediately apologized for disturbing and left.

"Nothing suspicious here." I said smugly as I searched the room mockingly.

"You wouldn't leave the evidence out in the open! Check the dorms. If we don't find anything I'll get you and anyone you want _two _rounds of butterbeers.

"Oh, it's on!" I laughed. Wesley obviously had no idea what he was getting into."

I went up to the Seventh Year dorms to see if Mark had skipped with me and could help us. The dorms were empty just as I'd suspected. It seemed as though the elf hadn't gotten up yet. The beds were unmade with the exception of Mark's which was perfectly made. Odd for a pureblood kid. In fact, everything in Mark's side seemed to be put away and organized in an almost secretive way.

"Uh… Gill… I'd get those Galleons ready if I were you." Wesley whispered.

I looked over and saw him bent over a book he'd pulled out from underneath Mark's bed. He looked like he was about to be sick. In his hands was a book titled _Dark Arts Throughout the Ages_. It couldn't be. Mark was such a good kid, but… it made sense. The gears in my brain whirred as they connected the pieces.

"No… But he was helping me." I choked out in a desperate attempt to prove myself wrong.

"What better way to hide a murder than to help solve it." Wesley said in a small voice.

I checked the time. Dinner. Perfect time to confront him in front of witnesses. But would I take the risk of being wrong again? No doubt I was already a laughing stock for what had happened earlier with Wesley. Anna would have done it. I leaned down to pick up the book and sure enough I also pulled out a torn Slytherin sweater. Wesley and I exchanged knowing glances. None of us wanted to believe it, but there was no denying it. In a rush, we ran down to the Great Hall.  
Once again, everyone stared at me as I ran in, but this time they laughed under their breaths instead of watching in expectation. Their faces wrinkled in confusion when Wesley ran in behind me holdng a Dark Arts book and a sweater. Mark looked around in fear and recognition. He stood and headed towards the side entrance as if he was going to the bathroom. Wesley sped ahead and pushed him down between two frightened first years on the Gryffindor table.

"We're not going on a hunch anymore." Wesley whispered menacingly. The first real Slytherin like thing I'd seen him do .

"People love me. You'll never get them on your side." Mark hissed back. I doubted anyone other than Wesley and I could hear him. Maybe the First Years. But who would believe them.

I threw the book at him. "Dark Arts, huh? Never took you for the type."

"I was just trying to get the enemy's perspective. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." He lied.

"Of course, let's not rule that out. There's also this sweater. It's torn, which would explain the threads by her body." I held up the sweater. "Let me guess. You were just keeping it so you could return it to the lost and found? Of course, of course. That makes sense. Your bed wasn't slept on last night. The same night Anna died. Oh, you were doing extra rounds as the Head Boy? Of course, what a coincidence no one saw you. It was late after all. How'd you get the Beater bat? Simple, you have access to the Quidditch storage. They'd want their star Seeker getting practice, and after all you used to be a Beater when Harry Potter was still in school. You'd be used to the weight. But anyone could have done that. One small thing you can't evade. Take of your shirt."

The panic was obvious in his laugh. "Why should I?"

"You're an innocent man, aren't you Mark?" I grinned. "What do you have to hide? Take of your shirt."

He pulled out his wand and aimed it at me. "I did it! Of course I did it! I did it in the Dark Lord's name! He lives in us! His loyal followers! The ones who didn't hide in fear! May death fall upon all mudbloods!"

He sent me flying backwards with a stunning spell. I landed next to Alex on the Hufflepuff table and motioned everyone to stay calm and not move. Mark unbuttoned his shirt and everyone saw the Death Eater's brand on his chest. He opened his mouth, no doubt to use a Killing Curse on me, but he was tackled and disarmed by Slytherins who'd been slowly approaching, no doubt Wesley's friends. Maybe Slytherins weren't so bad after all… Alex helped me stand and Wesley helped me get to my feet. We watched form the back of the Great Hall as teachers helped the Slytherins take a struggling, shouting Mark out of the hall. Everyone watched us in silence until, suddenly, they all begin talking at once.

"Hey! SHUT IT!" Wesley roared. "We're going out. You can ask Gill and me anything you'd like. Tomorrow."

"What happened?" Alex whispered to me as we left the Great Hall.

"Mark set up a fake crime scene pointing to the Slytherins. Prejudiced idiot I was, I ate it out of his hand. Thankfully Wesley came and offered to help. He suggested a Gryffindor did it. We went up and found everything pointing to Mark. It made sense. All was that was missing was the Dark Mark. The brand of guilt. I'd just finished reading a headline about Death Marks on the torso instead of the forearm and I remembered how panicked Mark looked when his shirt came loose and everything fit together."

"Wow… you two are really smart." Alex said. "Whoa… I would have never gotten that."

"Of course you wouldn't have. You're an idiot." I joked. "Wesley, I really am sorry about immediately assuming it was a Slytherin. Will you tell the others that."

"Of course I will! Don't even worry about it. I totally get it. We can be jerks sometimes. Especially with the whole war business." He shrugged. "It's just part of being a Slytherin. The same way everyone assumes Hufflepuffs are tame. So… how about those butterbeers?"

**A/N- I wrote this at CTY for class :) I hoped you enjoyed it. If you liked Gill enough I can write some more with him **


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